Hurricane Tobias (Slightly less old)
Hurricane Tobias was the strongest, deadliest, and costliest hurricane of the very active 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season. It was the second hurricane to reach category 5 status, and the first hurricane to make landfall at category 5 since Hurricane Felix, and the first USA category 5 landfall since Hurricane Andrew. Tobias was notable for being one of the strongest atlantic hurricanes on record, and for bringing destruction to the entire east coast. Tobias was one of the deadliest United States hurricanes on record, and the third-costliest. Meteorological History Formation During the very active month of October, a Tropical Wave exited the coast of Africa on October 25. Initially not expected to form, a Tropical Depression did indeed form, on October 29. This TD was not expected to become Tobias then. However, the next morning, Tropical Storm Tobias formed with 50 mph winds. It then weakened to a Tropical Depression that evening. Initially expected to dissipate, Tobias became a Tropical Storm again on October 31, and the NHC noted Tobias was growing strong banding. That night, a recon jet flew into Tobias and discovered a well-defined eye, with 90 mph winds. Tobias was upgraded to hurricane intensity by the next advisory. A pinhole eye had developed, and by 2:00 AM on November 1, Tobias reached major hurricane status, completely skipping category 2. At this point, NHC posted hurricane warnings throughout the Antilles, and the Caribbean Peak Intensity and Landfalls As Tobias continued west, it reached Category 4 intensity. Tobias made its first landfall on November 2, striking the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The islands faced 140 mph winds for 18 hours, and as much as 30 inches of rain, which led to mudslides that killed at least 700 people. Tobias moved north, narrowly avoiding a landfall on Cuba, and despite the proximity to land, rapidly intensified. On November 4, Tobias was upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane. Hurricane warnings were posted through the entire east coast. Tobias made landfall on southern Florida the next morning, peaking with 180 mph winds just before landfall. Also, the recon jets flying into the hurricane found a minimum barometric pressure of 893 millibars, which made Tobias the strongest hurricane since Wilma. South Florida was practically leveled by the hurricane. During the afternoon of November 5, the eye of Tobias passed directly over Miami, causing severe destruction in Florida's most popular city. Tobias brought record storm surge of as much as 35 feet to some coastal cities, completely annihilating the port of Miami. Tobias weakened to 150 mph as it passed near Jacksonville, causing some moderate destruction. Tobias weakened to category 3 intensity as it exited Florida and entered Georgia. It became post tropical. It was then expected for Tobias to dissipate, but Tobias regenerated into a category 1 hurricane near New York. It managed to reach Category 2 intensity and strike Massachusetts, also affecting New York. Tobias struck Nova Scotia as a 50 mph Tropical Storm, and became a Post Tropical Cyclone south of Newfoundland. Tobias was than expected to dissipate, and advisories ceased. Regeneration, Final landfall and Dissipation About 24 hours following the final Post Tropical Transition, Tobias just wouldn't go. The storm shed its frontal features, and regenerated into a subtropical depression on November 11. Tobias entered the central north atlantic and did a cyclonic loop, becoming tropical, and briefly becoming a hurricane for the last time. Tobias began to accelerate east, and made landfall on Spain as a Tropical Depression on November 18. The final advisory was issued that day, and the remnants were last seen over the Mediterranean sea. Impacts The impacts of Hurricane Tobias were widespread. Caribbean The Caribbean was hit very hard by Tobias, especially Haiti, which was recovering from some storms earlier in the year. Tobias landed here as a 140 mph hurricane. It killed over 700 people here. It also caused considerable damage in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Turks and Caicos. The Antilles suffered some damage. Bahamas As Tobias passed to the south, some of the islands took winds as strong as 180 mph, causing tons of damage. However, due to the islands Tobias hit being sparsely populated, damage was less than expected. Damage was about $170 million. United States Tobias made its presence known in the entire east coast. It hit Florida as a 175 mph hurricane, making it the worst landfall since Hurricane Andrew. Coastal cities, especially Miami, were almost flattened completely. Cape Canaveral and Jacksonville also sustained heavy damage. Tobias powered up the east coast. Hitting Georgia and the Carolinas as a weakening C3. Damage was moderate to heavy. As Tobias approached New England, it struck Massachusetts as a C2 hurricane, and damage here and in New York was limited to some storm surge and strong winds. Damage in Maine was minimal. Spain Despite Tobias struck Spain as a weak Tropical Storm, the storm's fast speed brought very high waves, and brought very high storm surge as a result. Some areas saw 15-20 feet of surge. Because of this, the damage toll was very high. It amounted to around $1 billion in damage. Retirement During the WMO in Spring 2017, the name Tobias was officially retired from list two of the rotating name lists. The name Travis will replace it in 2022. Category:Category 5 Hurricane Category:Late season hurricanes Category:2016 Storms Category:Tobias Category:VileMaster Category:European tropical cyclones Category:Storms that made landfall Category:Deadly storms Category:Costly storms Category:Strong Storms Category:Major Hurricanes